League of American Bicyclists Newsletter - April 27, 2010

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League, and now is thetime to encourage your friends, family and co-workers to bike to work, school and for errands. Bike to Work Week is May 17-21 and Bike to Work day is Friday, the 21st. Check out events in your areahere. If you have a website, newsletter, etc. feel free to use the League'spromotional materials, like our Bike Month banners, logos and buttons. Help make every day Bike to Work Day!

DOT Requests Comments on Distracted Driving

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued anotice of proposed rule-making in regards to limiting the Use of Wireless Communication Devices. Comment period concludes on May 3, 2010. View the League's comments here.

The League's office is expanding with the addition of three new staff members in the past two weeks. We have hired a new Director of Membership Scott Williams, a Bicycle Friendly America Program Assistant Carly Sieff, and a Membership and Events Assistant Katie Omberg. Meet our new staff!

League National Rally

The League's National Rally is a beloved tradition; and this June 3-6 we will be celebrating our 130th rally anniversary by teaming up with the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico! We will ride to honor Gail Ryba, founder of the Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico. Join cyclists from across the country for three days of riding through the colorful and historic New Mexican terrain. Find out more.

State and Local News

200,000+ Biking in NYC

The New York Times recently reported on new cycling counts that estimate the number of daily New York City cyclists at 236,000. This news coincides with a new case study Cycling in New York that will be published in World Transport Policy and Practice this summer. The report tracks trends in demographics (age and gender), safety, the bicycle facility network (including the new cycle tracks and green lanes), bike parking, bikes on transit and the city's education and promotion efforts. The report supports the growth reported by yesterday's Times article. Read more.

B-Cycles Bike-Share Debuts in Denver

Denver's new bike-share system B-cycles debuted last week with much excitement and national attention. B-cycles has membership options ranging from 24-hour to yearly and includes a universal swipe card. The bikes are Trek GPS-enabled cruisers and log data on your personal B-cycle account page: length/duration of each ride, your carbon offset, and how many calories you've burned. B-cycles is currently having a contest to see where they will launch their next bike-share system in the U.S. Read more.

Mid-Ohio's New Complete Streets Policy

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the metropolitan planning organization in central Ohio, approved aComplete Streets Policy that will apply to all transportation projects seeking MORPC federal funding. The Policy also encourages local governments to adopt a Complete Streets Policy for their transportation projects. Read more here.

Fort Wayne, Ind. Bike Summit

The City of Fort Wayne will host its second annual Bike Summit Saturday, May 8. The free event will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the Allen County Public Library downtown with an optional post-summit bike ride. The sessions are designed for everyone, from beginning cyclists to those who bike year-round. Read more.

Other News

Ride of Silence - Worldwide

On May 19, 2010, at 7:00 p.m., the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Read more.

Ride to Recovery Memorial Ride

Ride2Recovery is hosting the second annual Memorial Challenge-Washington, D.C. to Virginia Beach Va. Monday, May 31 to Saturday, June 5th. This is the return of a very successful event that benefits wounded warriors. You can participate in either the full 6-day ride or 1-day rides. Find out more.

Job Opportunities

Job Opportunity - Active Trans in Chicago

Active Trans in Chicago is seeking a new Executive Director to lead their board, staff, members and 1,000 volunteers for attitude shifts, policy changes, and improvements throughout Chicago. Apply now.

Bentonville Ark. Bike & Pedestrian Trail Planner

The City of Bentonville, Ark. is hiring a Bike and Pedestrian Trail Planner to develop and administer comprehensive plans and programs for bicycle and pedestrian trails throughout the city. Find out more.

The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visitwww.bikeleague.org.

The Dispatch report that Columbus Rides Bikes shared on Facebook today is entitled "More crashes come with more bicycle traffic on dedicated lanes," and discusses the new lanes and the number of accidents that have happened there. None of these accidents/crashes has been fatal.

So... you can read the article and get the statistics. Here's a summary of them, though, with a quote from the article:
...the number of crashes has jumped. Between 2012 and 2015, there were five crashes involving bicycles on Summit between Hudson and East 5th Avenue.…

In a move that has left quite a few people stranded in Columbus, the ride-sharing company Car2Go has announced today that they're pulling out of the local market as of May 31.

car2go is saddened to announce that we have made the difficult decision to suspend our operations in Columbus as of May 31. Read why here: https://t.co/gRSibUhotB
— car2go Columbus (@car2goColumbus) May 24, 2018
This has got me more than a little pissed off and very inconvenienced.

There's no doubt - Car2Go improved the quality of my family's life for the past few years while they were active in town. As a one-car family where I rode my bike and took the bus most days, Car2Go filled in the gap nicely when we needed that extra set of wheels to get ourselves places.

Here's the news they sent out via their website today:

HELLO,
We’re writing to let you know that after careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue car2go service in Columbus, effective May 31, 2018.
In 201…

Yes, the City of Columbus has an iPhone app. And an Android App, if you're so inclined.

It's actually been out for a couple of years now, and it gives locations of city services and the like. I've not mentioned the thing here on Carless Columbus in the past because, frankly, I haven't found it all that useful (and if the features I'm talking about have actually been part of the app in the past, I apologize, I just discovered them recently).

But, I'm happy to say that's changed. The app now has a link to the Columbus 311 service line where you can file service requests with the city to get things fixed! This includes issues like potholes, requesting bike racks, and a multitude of other issues (not all bike- or even traffic-related). So you need never worry about forgetting to file a request to have a pothole fixed again - just pull over (PLEASE) and file your claim as you find the pothole in question, or see a great spot for a bike rack, or whatever.…